Competence

I was reading yesterday a book from an entrepreneur, where he said (about one of his first jobs) that he was enjoyinng because he was good at it.
And I couldn't stop thinking how true this is.

You enjoy doing something when you are competent at it. It's good to be and feel competent at something. It's good to have people asking for your help and advice or admiring what you are doing.
It's good to feel that you are doing a really good job.

Obviously there are passions as well, things that you get easily engrossed in and as you do them, time just flies without you noticing. These are the things that you should be doing to be on purpose!

But it is also great to do things you are competent at.

The learning for me is that it is absolutely normal that when you start a new job, the 1st months will be difficult. Because you will be dealing with people that are doing it for years and are much more confortable. Because you are in a learning curve, and are not competent yet. Because people expect a lot and it will be difficult in the beggining to meet and even more so to surpass expectations.
But that is normal.
When changing a job, it is important to plan:
- what you want to achieve on the 1st 90 days; detailed plan of what to do, who to go out with, what things to understand, who to meet
- where you will be (what level of knowledge do you want to have); what things you expect to have achieved by then

It's important to do this plan to put things in perspective.
It's also probably a great idea to share it with your boss, to set his expectations as well.
But most of all, it's important to you, in order to limit the pressure you put in yourself!

NEW role analysis

Interesting to check my expectations before moving fully into the new job. It'll be cool to check in a few months time.

What attracts me in the NEW role?
- local job, close to the market, real pressure on achieving figures. That will make it easier on me to get passionate about it
- people management: taking on the responsibility of managin 4/5 people. Getting to know them, getting them to respect me, building a strong team, with good values. We will support each other and fight together, work together, cry and laugh together, celebrate our achievements together!
- it's a board role, it'll give me the opportunity to sit on the board and understand how directors operate and think. And test myself against them. And prove how good I am!
- Innovation: deliver new things to the market. Make great stuff that can change the scenario in the country where I live and where I was born!!!
- broaden my experience by being exposed to a couple of different categories and also another side of marketing that I don't really know

What may I struggle with?
- politics and the power of personal relationships
- lack of efficiency in the local organisations
- people relations more important than results
- it'll take time to understand the new categories and ways of operating
- longer days at least in the first 8-10 months, until I establish my credibility and power within the board
- lack of travelling?
- lack of international contacts??
- less international exposure and job opportunities?

Old job: likes and dislikes?

This exercise can help me in deepening my understanding of what I want to do, what is my passion.

What did I like in the job that I am about to leave? What did I enjoy? What will I miss?
- contact with people from all over the world. Talk to them, understand how they live, their ambitions and dreams. How they work.
- travelling, being in different countries, visiting different cities, seeing different lifestyles
- the people. Overall relaxed, nice and driven. Good professionals, efficient. I could learn from them
- status: I was very respected and somewhat feared. People wanted to please me. Though I do think this comes not only from the job but also from my personal characteristics (I am a good presenter and have good presence in meetings, Also having been there for a few years and having multiple country and category experiences makes me quite confident and at ease in some discussions)
- time and independence: I was managing my own agenda and could do what I wanted to
- other people: if they were good (eg tech people, mkt research...) they would get on with their work, I would only have to ensure that they were doing what was needed
- the resources: being on global projects money was never an issue, whatever kind of research needed doing... it would be done!

What didn't I like?
- not knowing how to progress some projects, what is the next action?
- lobby: one of the tech centers was mainly composed of people from 1 nationality, often I would be the odd one out. As I don't speak that language, they wouldn´t mind and chat away. Also, this country was becoming leader and gaining full power in Europe...
- tired?! I've been in this business for years!! I've seen it and was not in any way passionate about it anymore. It wasn´t firing me up anymore. And I don't want that.
- Feel old on the job. I was there for donkeys years, people were coming and going and I was there.
- Future perspectives: I was in the best role, in order to be promoted into a director role in a couple of years. Now... even it sounds attractive, that does not motivate me. Seeing myself as a director in a European country doesn't really appeal to me.
- Career: for years and years there have been rumours that my company could potentially divest from the area where I work. Also, it is a quite specific market and business. Let's say I would be out of a job in a couple of years. My perspectives could be quite grim as my experience was narrow. So I really need to broaden my experience!!!

Motivations

My successor in the current job has been appointed... I know the guy, he's cool, I came into the company at the same time as him, we've recently even worked together in a project. He'll do well.
How do I feel? A bit f****d really... Even though it has been my choice, I am not really happy about it. I do think that I wasn't really that happy while doing that job but... I'm afraid that I will even like the new one less. I had my first meeting this week and it was a bloody nightmare. Total lack of efficiency, an intricate network of personal relationships and powergames... Christ.
I guess it happens everywhere, it is human nature. The thing at this stage is that I am not fully motivated and passionate about the new job. I am not fully convinced myself.
And I need to be. If I am, I'll tackle any issue and become a major success in this role. But is that role what I want to do?
It is paramound in today´s world that you are fully engaged in what you do. After all, what is the point? Life is short, you gotta enjoy it and make the most of it.

My struggle has been to find out my purpose. What I want to do. What will fire me up. I'll give a go to this new challenge and find out what I like about it.

Moving jobs

I am changing jobs this month, remaining with the same company but changing department. Although I have spent many years in the same department where I progressed quickly and was looked at as a top talent, I have decided to move.

I love the current place where I work, good atmosphere and camaraderie but was getting bored with the function and was always travelling. I wasn't enjoying myself that much.

Also, I find that in today's world, more than ever, you need to diversify your career a little bit, to make yourself more valuable in the market place...

I'm quite scared about the new role, as it is quite different and I am risking a lot. And it will involve a lot more politics, which I am not so confortable doing but guess I need to learn to progress?

Interesting is that: now that I know that I am leaving the current job, I am much more efficient and get a lot more done on it. I am much more confident to address people that I previously found difficult.
Why can't I have this efficiency, or this confidence before, when it was a regular day-2-day job? Because acting this way makes me enjoy the job so much more.

Just act. It's a people's world. Things progress by talking to people and making things happen.